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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 · date · spell · bat · track · object · pop · wound

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bat — the animal
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pop — to visit
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. track — a song
  7. pop — soda
  8. date — the fruit
  9. object — an aim
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spell — letters
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. toast — bread
  20. spell — magic
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. track — to keep track
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — a short time

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