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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. present — there
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bound — certain
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bark — to shout
  17. present — a gift
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bound — obliged

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