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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a path
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — low music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. track — a song
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bass — the fish

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