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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. season — in sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fine — high quality
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. toast — bread
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. prune — the fruit

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