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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. degree — temperature
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chair — a leader
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bass — low music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. degree — from a university
  24. nail — on a finger

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