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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. chest — a box
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chest — of your body
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pass — a permit
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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