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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fall — the season
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. swing — in golf
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. toast — bread
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mate — a friend
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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