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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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Word bank
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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: ball · trunk · toast · sharp · saw · rest · content · bass

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ball — a great time
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — the tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rest — a break
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. content — happy
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. content — the amount
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ball — a dance
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. sharp — clever

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