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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — bread
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. foot — a measure
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bound — certain
  9. key — in music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mate — to breed
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mate — a partner
  19. snap — to click
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mate — a friend
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bound — tied together
  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