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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 · fan · pound · file · season · bass · fine · staff

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. pound — a weight
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. season — of the year
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. file — a tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. bass — low music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — in sport
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — bread
  19. file — a line of people
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a document
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bass — the instrument

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