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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. toast — bread
  9. drill — army training
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — of the year
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. band — a music group
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. date — the fruit
  18. squash — the sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. band — a ring
  21. drill — the tool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — to add flavour

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