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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kid — child
  4. stem — to come from
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — bread
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. cap — of ice
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bass — the fish
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. board — to get on
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. net — in sport
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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