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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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Word bank
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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: stand · bowl · toast · pop · row · swing · pass · bat

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — a permit
  4. toast — bread
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pop — soda
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. row — a line
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pop — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stand — to bear

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