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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. toast — bread
  3. staff — employees
  4. file — a document
  5. net — in sport
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. file — a tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. squash — to crush
  16. scale — in music
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — for catching
  19. file — a line of people
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. staff — a stick
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. scale — size or range

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