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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. can — a tin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. staff — employees
  8. can — to be able to
  9. field — for sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. staff — employees
  16. toast — bread
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mate — to breed
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — a stick
  23. field — farmland
  24. lie — an untruth

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