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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: bass · squash · toast · bat · wound · bear · pit · nail

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. toast — bread
  9. pit — a hole
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bass — the fish
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bass — low music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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