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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. foot — a measure
  3. court — for sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. toast — bread
  6. bass — low music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bass — the fish
  12. board — to get on
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. board — a committee
  16. content — the amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. content — happy
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — of law
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. board — a flat piece

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