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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. land — ground
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. object — a thing
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — an aim
  15. land — a country
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. net — for catching
  21. season — of the year
  22. object — to protest
  23. land — to come down
  24. net — after costs

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