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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — in music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. tube — the underground
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. shower — to wash
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rest — a break
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tube — a container
  17. shower — rain
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. toast — the most admired

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