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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pass — a permit
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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