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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. date — the fruit
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. key — the most important part
  8. band — a music group
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — a position
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — for a lock
  16. band — a ring
  17. toast — bread
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. key — in music

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