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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. ball — a great time
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — bread
  12. firm — steady
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. date — the fruit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. firm — a company
  22. file — a document
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. firm — decided

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