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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. ball — a dance
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — bread
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. swing — music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. swing — in golf
  24. trunk — of a tree

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