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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. toast — bread
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bass — low music
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — to recline
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — music
  19. bat — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bass — the fish
  24. roll — a list

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