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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. object — to protest
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — a thing
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. present — a gift
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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