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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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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: fan · date · rest · key · cold · dip · club · toast

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. date — the fruit
  8. toast — bread
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. key — for a lock
  11. club — a group
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. club — for dancing
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. key — the most important part
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. club — for golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — a break
  21. key — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cold — not warm

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