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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. file — a document
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — a series
  10. firm — decided
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. firm — steady
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. firm — a company
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. toast — bread
  21. snap — to click
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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