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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: chip · toast · cap · band · mate · foot · racket · bat

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — a friend
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. foot — a measure
  8. mate — to breed
  9. toast — bread
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. band — a ring
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. band — a music group
  18. cap — a hat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chip — for betting

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