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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · kid · toast · lean · can · mug

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mug — a cup
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mug — a face
  8. toast — bread
  9. can — to be able to
  10. file — a tool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lean — thin
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. lean — to bend
  15. mug — to rob
  16. kid — child
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin

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