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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: toast · leaves · date · fall · rest · cue · bass · snap

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fall — to drop
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rest — a break
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cue — a hint
  7. toast — bread
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cue — a signal
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to click
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cue — for pool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bass — the instrument

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