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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: cold · toast · mate · pass · racket · bound · roll · cabinet

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — an illness
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — a list
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — certain
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. toast — bread
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mate — a friend
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pass — a permit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pass — to spend time

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