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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. season — in sport
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bass — low music
  9. drill — army training
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mug — a face
  21. deal — to handle
  22. season — of the year
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mug — to rob

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