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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — low music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. toast — bread
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — a break
  21. cell — in biology
  22. march — the month
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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