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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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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 · toast · saw · fall · stick · foot · march · leaves

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fall — the season
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. toast — bread
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — a measure
  17. saw — the tool
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bass — the fish
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fall — to drop

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