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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. squash — to crush
  4. toast — bread
  5. object — an aim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wax — to grow
  11. net — for catching
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — to wash
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. object — a thing
  18. fall — the season
  19. net — after costs
  20. track — a path
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — a song

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