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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. current — of water
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. foot — a measure
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — electric
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. march — the month
  24. bear — to put up with

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