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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. toast — bread
  6. club — for golf
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. club — for dancing
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stand — to bear
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. club — a group
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. field — for sport

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