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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bass — low music
  3. last — to go on
  4. spring — of water
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — final
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. toast — bread
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fork — in a road
  18. last — finally
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. dip — to sink
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  24. dip — a sauce

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