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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: ball · date · chest · hide · straw · pass · march · toast

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — a box
  4. march — music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. march — the month
  9. pass — a permit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ball — a dance
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. toast — bread
  22. date — the fruit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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