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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. season — in sport
  4. toast — bread
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — employees
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — a position
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ground — crushed
  14. date — the fruit
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spring — of water
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spring — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — employees
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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