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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. track — a song
  4. season — in sport
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. track — to keep track
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. pass — a permit
  19. track — a path
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. season — of the year
  24. trunk — of a car

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