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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 · wind · row · capital · roll · cabinet · firm · straw

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. firm — decided
  4. capital — money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. capital — a city
  9. firm — steady
  10. roll — a list
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wind — moving air
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — a company
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — a line
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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