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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: rash · toast · club · bowl · pitcher · fork · cold · bay

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — a group
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rash — a series
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rash — hasty

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