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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. can — a tin
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. can — to be able to
  10. toast — bread
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — a tin
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rest — what's left
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lash — to lash out

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