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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. firm — steady
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. track — a path
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mark — a grade
  9. toast — bread
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mark — a trace
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. firm — decided
  16. track — a song
  17. row — to paddle
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mine — for digging
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. firm — a company
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. row — a line
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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