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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: game · foot · nail · lie · toast · bass · rush · kid

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. kid — child
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. game — a match
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lie — to recline
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rush — hurry
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. lie — an untruth

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