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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. file — a tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. toast — bread
  7. field — farmland
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — a subject
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — the underground
  16. file — a document
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. field — for sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. tube — a container
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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