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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: cold · bass · bound · present · toast · track · mate · chip

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — certain
  4. present — a gift
  5. bass — low music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. track — a song
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. track — a path
  10. cold — not warm
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mate — to breed
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chip — for betting
  20. mate — a partner
  21. present — the time now
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — obliged
  24. present — there

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