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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. row — a line
  15. drill — army training
  16. toast — bread
  17. drill — the tool
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wound — an injury
  24. temple — a place of worship

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