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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bat — the animal
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. face — to point toward
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. face — to confront
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bass — low music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. swing — music
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. swing — in golf
  20. hand — help
  21. face — part of the head
  22. swing — to play on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. foot — a measure

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