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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. bound — tied together
  17. cold — an illness
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — the sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bound — obliged

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