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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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. mine — for digging
  4. stock — shares
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. last — to go on
  7. stock — goods
  8. last — finally
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. last — final
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mark — a trace
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bulb — for light

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