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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tube — a container
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. tube — the underground
  9. object — to protest
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tear — to rip
  19. object — a thing
  20. club — a group
  21. wake — a trail
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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