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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. present — a gift
  9. key — the most important part
  10. present — the time now
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. season — of the year
  17. toast — bread
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. present — there
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — the most admired

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