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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bank — for money
  11. chest — a box
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bank — for money
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chest — of your body
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com