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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 · fine · cold · firm · present · shower · rash · stick

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. present — there
  3. rash — hasty
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. shower — rain
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — not warm
  9. firm — steady
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — a company
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cold — an illness
  14. present — the time now
  15. firm — decided
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — all right
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — a gift
  21. shower — to wash
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. cold — the Cold War

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