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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lie — to recline
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. toast — bread
  14. rush — hurry
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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