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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kick — in football
  4. ground — crushed
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tear — to rip
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ground — the earth
  12. chest — a box
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. ground — a position
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — a thrill

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