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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. scale — in music
  7. season — of the year
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. scale — size or range
  11. land — a country
  12. season — in sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — electricity
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. saw — the tool
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. charge — in control
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — ground

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