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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bulb — for light
  5. foot — a measure
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. roll — a list
  9. bass — low music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. toast — bread
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. foot — the bottom

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