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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bass — low music
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rock — music
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stock — shares
  20. game — a match
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — a list
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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