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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cold — an illness
  8. ground — crushed
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. fine — all right
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ground — a position

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