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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · chair · track · toast · spring · mate · mouse · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spring — the season
  8. track — a song
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. last — final
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mate — a friend
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. track — a path
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — finally
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. track — to keep track
  24. toast — bread

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