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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. toast — bread
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. squash — to crush
  7. date — the fruit
  8. content — happy
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. foot — a measure
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — a list
  23. squash — the sport
  24. content — the amount

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