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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rash — hasty
  8. march — the month
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. march — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bat — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rash — a series

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