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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — in sport
  8. pound — a weight
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cold — not warm
  14. toast — bread
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. season — of the year

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