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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. press — to push
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ball — a dance
  9. season — in sport
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — a leader
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ball — a great time
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. press — newspapers
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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