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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cold — an illness
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bass — low music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rush — hurry
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bass — the instrument

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