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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: mark · mate · present · toast · stick · game · scale · jam

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. present — the time now
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mark — a grade
  7. scale — size or range
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mark — a trace
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — a gift
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. present — there
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. scale — in music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. game — wild animals

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