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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — wild animals
  6. band — a ring
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. date — the fruit
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a list
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wake — a trail
  15. game — a match
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. roll — a cake
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. band — a music group

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