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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. content — the amount
  3. bass — low music
  4. toast — bread
  5. bank — for money
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bank — for money
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — of the year
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. object — a thing
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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