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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — after costs
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. rest — a break
  8. mine — for digging
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — a face
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rest — what's left
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — in sport
  18. perch — the fish
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — bread
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. march — music

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