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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — bread
  16. mate — a partner
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rash — hasty

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