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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: cold · bass · rush · ground · cabinet · track · toast · present

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. track — a song
  6. present — a gift
  7. toast — bread
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — low music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. track — a path
  12. present — there
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bass — the fish
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rush — hurry
  21. present — the time now
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — the earth

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