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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. toast — bread
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chest — a box
  12. squash — the sport
  13. roll — a list
  14. season — of the year
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. squash — to crush
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pit — in a race
  24. squash — the vegetable

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