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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: toast · kid · stand · mug · bank · cap · bat · fine

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. fine — all right
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. toast — bread
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mug — a face
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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