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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. toast — bread
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bat — the animal
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. drill — army training
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. date — the fruit
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — farmland
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. field — a subject
  24. drill — the tool

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