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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cold — not warm
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — of the year
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. game — a match
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cold — an illness
  17. toast — bread
  18. game — wild animals
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. date — 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