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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: bound · mate · trunk · firm · net · toast · bat · hide

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — the animal
  4. toast — bread
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — tied together
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — to breed
  10. firm — steady
  11. net — in sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — a partner
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. firm — a company
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — certain
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bound — obliged

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