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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. squash — the sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bank — for money
  10. toast — bread
  11. pop — to visit
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bank — for money
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. mate — a partner
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — tied together
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bank — of a river

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