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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — bread
  5. chest — of your body
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mark — a grade
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chest — a box
  16. mug — a cup
  17. season — in sport
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — a series

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