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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: can · firm · charge · rest · bass · stick · toast · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. charge — a price
  10. firm — steady
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rest — a break
  13. firm — a company
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bass — low music
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. firm — decided
  20. toast — bread
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — not warm

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