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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · bass · perch · hide · saw · staff · coach

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bass — low music
  3. date — the fruit
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. toast — bread
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — a stick
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. staff — employees
  24. bass — the fish

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