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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. ball — a great time
  4. toast — bread
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — music
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pop — to visit
  14. roll — a cake
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. key — in music
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — soda
  23. roll — a list
  24. game — a kind of play

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