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

Word bank: toast · lie · stick · fine · cabinet · pound · file · charge

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fine — all right
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pound — a weight
  5. charge — electricity
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. file — a document
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a tool
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a line of people
  16. lie — to recline
  17. charge — in control
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. charge — a price
  24. pound — to hit hard

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