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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. season — in sport
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. season — of the year
  14. stand — to bear
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mine — for digging
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. toast — bread

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