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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chip — for betting
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. toast — bread
  15. club — a group
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bass — low music
  24. date — the fruit

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