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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. toast — bread
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fall — to drop
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. band — a ring
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rush — hurry
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fall — to drop
  24. band — a music group

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