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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tube — a container
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bound — tied together
  11. drill — army training
  12. toast — bread
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bass — low music
  18. roll — a cake
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bound — certain
  21. drill — the tool
  22. roll — a list
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — a practice

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