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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. lean — thin
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. toast — bread
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — to bend
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. face — part of the head
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. field — farmland
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bore — to drill
  23. face — to confront
  24. dip — to dunk

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