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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rock — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. toast — bread
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — music

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