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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: board · pop · fork · temple · toast · fine · cold · date

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cold — not warm
  3. board — to get on
  4. pop — music
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fine — all right
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. board — a committee
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fork — in a road
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fine — high quality
  22. date — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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