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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: foot · mug · lie · club · bowl · bat · cap · toast

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mug — a face
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cap — a hat
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. club — a group
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cap — of ice
  19. lie — to recline
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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