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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the fish
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bass — low music
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — to crush

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