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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cold · file · leaves · toast · track · foot · object · bass

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — an illness
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. foot — a measure
  8. object — to protest
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. file — a document
  11. track — to keep track
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — a song
  15. bass — low music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. object — an aim
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bass — the fish
  21. file — a line of people
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. track — a path
  24. toast — bread

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