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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: toast · patient · board · row · mug · bay · season · track

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. track — a song
  5. season — of the year
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — to rob
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. row — a line
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. board — a committee
  12. row — to paddle
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. board — to get on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mug — a face
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — a path
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. track — to keep track
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — a cup

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