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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bass — low music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. present — the time now
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pass — a permit
  16. fine — all right
  17. present — a gift
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. present — there
  24. kid — to tease

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