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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. suit — to fit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. march — the month
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — music
  8. suit — clothes
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. lean — thin
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. dip — to sink
  18. suit — in cards
  19. toast — bread
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lean — to bend
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. march — the month

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