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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. spell — a short time
  4. season — in sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. current — happening now
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spell — letters
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — clever
  11. current — of water
  12. spell — magic
  13. fine — high quality
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — electric
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mine — for digging
  24. season — of the year

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