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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · rest · stand · pitcher · bass · bay · key · toast

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — the fish
  18. key — the most important part
  19. rest — what's left
  20. key — in music
  21. toast — bread
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — from crying

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