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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: bat · net · foot · stick · chip · ball · date · toast

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. date — the fruit
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bat — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — after costs
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chip — for betting
  24. toast — bread

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