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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. land — ground
  4. mate — a partner
  5. land — to come down
  6. field — a subject
  7. land — a country
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. toast — bread
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bass — low music
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — farmland
  14. bass — the fish
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mate — to breed
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. field — for sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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