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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. face — to point toward
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. face — to confront
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — part of the head
  11. shower — to wash
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. last — final
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. last — finally
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — of the year
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — rain
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. last — to go on
  24. deal — a big deal

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