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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — in sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lean — to bend
  9. squash — to crush
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lean — thin
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — of the year
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — magic

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