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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mate — a partner
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fall — the season
  10. bass — low music
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bat — the animal
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — a straw man

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