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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tear — from crying
  17. net — after costs
  18. chair — a leader
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. net — in sport
  22. bass — low music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. toast — bread

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