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

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bass — low music
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. last — finally
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. mark — a trace
  8. toast — bread
  9. last — to go on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — final
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mark — to pay attention

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