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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cue — a signal
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cue — for pool
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cap — of ice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. cap — a hat
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. roll — a list
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cue — a hint
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cap — a lid

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