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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · can · clip · date · stand · land · racket · wake

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stand — to bear
  3. land — ground
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. toast — bread
  7. clip — to cut
  8. can — a tin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. can — to be able to
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. land — to come down
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. land — a country
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. can — a tin

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