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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · march · dip · toast · wind · bay

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. march — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — the month
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. toast — bread
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. staff — employees
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month

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