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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. march — music
  3. toast — bread
  4. spring — a coil
  5. squash — to crush
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. march — the month
  9. current — electric
  10. spring — the season
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a dance
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. ball — a great time
  16. current — happening now
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spring — of water
  19. current — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bat — the animal
  23. squash — the sport
  24. deal — to handle

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