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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rest — what's left
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. present — the time now
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rash — a series
  15. rest — a break
  16. content — the amount
  17. pound — a weight
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — happy
  23. present — there
  24. toast — the most admired

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