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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. toast — bread
  14. rash — a series
  15. bass — low music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. craft — boats
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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