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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
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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: dip · rock · march · staff · toast · bat · date · clip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. toast — bread
  4. march — the month
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — for paper
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rock — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. dip — to sink
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. march — the month
  23. clip — a video
  24. date — on the calendar

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