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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. swing — to play on
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rock — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — finally
  12. swing — in golf
  13. last — final
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. swing — music
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — a phone
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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