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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. last — finally
  3. kid — child
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fine — high quality
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. toast — bread
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fine — all right
  13. last — to go on
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. last — final
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. squash — the sport

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