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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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 — bread
  2. ground — a position
  3. can — a tin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spring — a coil
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. can — to be able to
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — a song
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. can — a tin
  21. chest — of your body
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bass — the fish
  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