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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. toast — bread
  6. bass — low music
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bass — the fish
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a ring
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — size or range
  24. arm — a part of something

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