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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: bay · rest · wind · toast · object · file · bark · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. object — an aim
  4. rest — what's left
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. object — to protest
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cap — of ice
  14. file — a tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. file — a document
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. object — a thing
  22. wind — moving air
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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