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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — to shout
  7. plane — a tool
  8. snap — to click
  9. toast — bread
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — finally
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chair — a leader
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. season — of the year
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. last — final

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