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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. scale — in music
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — letters
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. toast — bread
  15. spring — of water
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spring — the season
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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