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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — the fish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — a container
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bass — low music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. toast — bread
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mouse — the animal

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