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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rock — a stone
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. scale — in music
  12. chest — a box
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. firm — decided
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cue — for pool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. firm — a company
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. firm — steady
  24. toast — the most admired

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