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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. row — a line
  8. fall — to drop
  9. season — of the year
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fall — the season
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. race — humankind
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. toast — bread
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pound — a weight
  21. race — a contest
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. season — in sport

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