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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rock — a stone
  4. tube — a container
  5. toast — bread
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rock — music
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — low music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ground — a position
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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