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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: cap · bat · suit · row · saw · toast · snap · fine

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. toast — bread
  3. suit — clothes
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bat — the animal
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cap — a lid
  8. row — a line
  9. cap — of ice
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. suit — in cards
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cap — a hat
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fine — all right
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. suit — to fit
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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