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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a ring
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cue — a signal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rash — a series
  9. present — the time now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cue — a hint
  13. present — a gift
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a music group
  19. present — there
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cue — for pool
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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