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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: toast · scale · pit · mate · face · firm · swing · march

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — in golf
  6. firm — decided
  7. scale — size or range
  8. face — to confront
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. swing — to play on
  12. firm — steady
  13. mate — a friend
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. firm — a company
  16. toast — bread
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. swing — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a partner
  21. face — to point toward
  22. march — music
  23. mate — to breed
  24. face — part of the head

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