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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. rule — government
  16. bass — low music
  17. toast — bread
  18. rule — a law
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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