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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 · cold · firm · mate · mug · straw · date · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. date — the fruit
  3. mate — a friend
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. mug — to rob
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mug — a face
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. firm — steady
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. firm — decided
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. firm — a company
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mate — to breed
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mug — a cup
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. toast — the most admired

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