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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. last — to go on
  3. mug — a face
  4. squash — the sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. squash — to crush
  10. present — there
  11. foot — a measure
  12. last — final
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. season — in sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. present — the time now
  19. last — finally
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. present — a gift

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