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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. lean — thin
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rash — hasty
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. toast — bread
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. file — a tool
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. file — a document

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