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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. last — final
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. toast — bread
  9. object — a thing
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. clip — a video
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. clip — for paper
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — to go on
  19. object — to protest
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a grade
  24. clip — to cut

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