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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mug — a face
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. march — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. march — the month
  24. sharp — clever

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