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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rash — a series
  3. pass — a permit
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. game — a match
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. game — wild animals

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