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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mug — to rob
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — in sport
  8. mug — a face
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. toast — bread
  13. file — a tool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. file — a document
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — of the year
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mug — a cup
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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