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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. season — in sport
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bass — low music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — of the year
  13. roll — a list
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. toast — bread
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. roll — a cake
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. foot — a measure
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. foot — part of the body

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