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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — in sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fine — all right
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. toast — bread
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. file — a document
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. file — a line of people

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