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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — in sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — after costs
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. season — in sport
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. net — for catching
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. toast — bread
  21. mark — a grade
  22. season — of the year
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. season — to add flavour

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