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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. file — a tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. object — a thing
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. toast — bread
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. object — to protest
  15. band — a music group
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. file — a document
  18. band — a ring
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pass — a permit

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