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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. chest — a box
  10. key — in music
  11. season — in sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. toast — bread
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tear — to rip
  17. key — for a lock
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. season — of the year
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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