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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. row — a line
  3. bulb — for light
  4. net — in sport
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pass — a permit
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. toast — bread
  10. bass — low music
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. row — to paddle
  13. last — finally
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. net — for catching
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. last — to go on
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — after costs
  23. bass — the fish
  24. last — final

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