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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bound — certain
  6. game — a match
  7. toast — bread
  8. mug — to rob
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bass — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bass — low music
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — a face
  24. bass — the instrument

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