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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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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cue — a signal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cue — a hint
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. toast — bread
  20. cue — for pool
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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