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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: foot · present · bowl · bass · net · tube · kick · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tube — a container
  4. present — the time now
  5. toast — bread
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. tube — the underground
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bass — low music
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. foot — a measure
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kick — in football
  22. net — for catching
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — in sport

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