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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — a country
  7. bass — low music
  8. capital — a city
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. land — ground
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a trace
  22. land — to come down
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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