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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cue — for pool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. key — in music
  11. roll — a list
  12. cue — a hint
  13. mine — for digging
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — the animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. branch — a division
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. date — on the calendar

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