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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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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: bat · hide · toast · bound · snap · pound · date · craft

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — a weight
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. craft — a skill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bound — obliged
  17. craft — boats
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. toast — bread
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bat — in an idiom

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