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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. pass — a permit
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — of water
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — the season
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spring — a coil
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. toast — bread
  24. rush — hurry

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