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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. toast — bread
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bass — the fish
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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