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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kid — to tease
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — bread
  7. rash — hasty
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bank — for money
  16. tube — a container
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bank — for money
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bear — the animal

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