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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. charge — a price
  4. squash — to crush
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cue — for pool
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cue — a hint
  20. toast — bread
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cue — a signal

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