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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. content — happy
  3. toast — bread
  4. content — the amount
  5. present — there
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — the time now
  14. bass — low music
  15. march — music
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. present — a gift
  22. pop — to visit
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. march — the month

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