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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: board · band · track · toast · spell · date · hand · dip

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. dip — to sink
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — letters
  5. board — to get on
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — a committee
  9. band — a music group
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hand — help
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a ring
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. spell — a short time
  18. track — a path
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. spell — magic
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. band — a rubber band

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