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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. field — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pass — a permit
  7. season — of the year
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — farmland
  10. club — for dancing
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. club — a group
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. cap — a lid
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. toast — bread
  24. season — in 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