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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chest — a box
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. toast — bread
  8. row — a line
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bass — low music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chest — of your body
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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