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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — in sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. branch — a division
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — letters
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — humankind
  14. present — there
  15. toast — bread
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — after costs
  19. present — a gift
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — magic
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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