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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: pit · staff · toast · key · wind · bound · date · wave

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — a hole
  7. date — the fruit
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pit — in a race
  12. key — the most important part
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — certain
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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