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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. last — finally
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. field — farmland
  10. last — final
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. last — to go on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pound — a weight
  16. date — the fruit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. field — for sport

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