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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bass — low music
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — hurry
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. deal — to handle
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. track — a path
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. march — music

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