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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: toast · pop · mate · fine · bat · band · bore · sharp

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a music group
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pop — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. toast — bread
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bore — to tire
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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