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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. object — to protest
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. object — a thing
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. season — of the year
  14. kick — in football
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. content — happy
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — goods
  22. object — an aim
  23. content — the amount
  24. fan — to cool the 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