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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: toast · cabinet · pitcher · game · file · firm · wake · lean

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — a match
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. firm — decided
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. file — a document
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — to bend
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — steady

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