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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rash — a series
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. capital — money
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — bread
  20. capital — a city
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fine — all right
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — for a hammer

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