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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: cue · firm · swing · bat · band · face · toast · lean

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. lean — thin
  8. firm — a company
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lean — to bend
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cue — a hint
  16. face — to confront
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. swing — music
  24. band — a music group

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