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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. toast — bread
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a line of people
  9. content — happy
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. file — a tool
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. file — a document

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