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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. roll — a cake
  3. spell — a short time
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. club — a group
  6. spell — letters
  7. suit — to fit
  8. spell — magic
  9. suit — clothes
  10. last — to go on
  11. club — for dancing
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. last — final
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. roll — a list
  16. last — finally
  17. club — for golf
  18. suit — in cards

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