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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — bread
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — in sport
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rush — hurry
  9. club — for golf
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. season — of the year
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fine — all right
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. toast — the most admired

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