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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tube — the underground
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. file — a line of people
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a document
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. field — a subject
  10. net — in sport
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. sharp — clever
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — farmland
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. file — a tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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