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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: toast · stand · date · squash · can · bowl · wind · kick

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. date — the fruit
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. can — to be able to
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. squash — to crush
  18. can — a tin
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wind — moving air
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. kick — in football
  24. bowl — to roll

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