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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: firm · toast · game · cold · object · bass · snap · roll

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bass — the fish
  6. roll — a cake
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bass — low music
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — an illness
  11. object — an aim
  12. game — a match
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. toast — bread
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. roll — a list
  18. firm — a company
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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