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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. band — a music group
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mug — a cup
  5. spell — letters
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. mug — a face
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. sharp — clever
  15. toast — bread
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hand — help
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. mug — to rob

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