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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: squash · cabinet · bulb · bat · stand · game · toast · cold

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. toast — bread
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. game — wild animals
  7. squash — the sport
  8. game — a match
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. stand — on your feet

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