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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — a grade
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. net — after costs
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. drill — a practice
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. scale — in music
  18. drill — army training
  19. net — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. mark — a trace

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