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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — in football
  5. scale — in music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. can — to be able to
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — a tin
  18. bass — low music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. can — a tin
  22. toast — bread
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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