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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. mate — to breed
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — in a road
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pass — a permit
  19. row — to paddle
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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