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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. track — a song
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — wild animals
  7. toast — bread
  8. track — a path
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. roll — a cake
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. roll — a list
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. key — the most important part
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. key — in music
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. game — a match

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