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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rest — a break
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — low music
  6. kick — in football
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — the fish
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. toast — bread
  15. vault — a safe
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kid — child
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kid — to tease

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