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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mug — a cup
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bass — low music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pit — a hole
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mug — a face
  16. bass — the fish
  17. squash — to crush
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cue — a hint
  21. face — to confront
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pit — in a race

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