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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. firm — steady
  3. toast — bread
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — low music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. firm — a company
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bass — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. firm — decided
  17. present — a gift
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. present — there
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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