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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — low music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. toast — bread
  13. bound — certain
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bound — obliged
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bass — the fish
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fan — a supporter

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