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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — the fish
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bass — low music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — the fish

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