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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: toast · net · snap · ball · foot · bound · patient · roll

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. toast — bread
  7. bound — certain
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — after costs
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a dance
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. roll — a list
  20. bound — obliged
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — on a roll

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