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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. drill — the tool
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. last — final
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. last — to go on
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. toast — bread
  20. last — finally
  21. deal — to handle
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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