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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: toast · present · pound · bass · chest · rule · can · plane

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. present — the time now
  4. pound — a weight
  5. can — a tin
  6. rule — a law
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. present — there
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. can — a tin
  16. plane — a tool
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bass — low music
  20. chest — a box
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. toast — bread
  24. present — a gift

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