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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wake — a trail
  12. club — for golf
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bound — certain
  15. toast — bread
  16. craft — boats
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bound — obliged
  19. swing — to play on
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. craft — a skill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a 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