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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: bass · firm · mug · fan · file · toast · mine · season

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — a cup
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. firm — decided
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mug — to rob
  11. firm — steady
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. toast — bread
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. firm — a company
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. file — a tool
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — low music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mug — a face

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