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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — a tin
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. can — a tin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kick — in football

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