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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. march — music
  6. kick — in football
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — the animal
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. staff — employees
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — certain
  24. kick — a thrill

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