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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. rest — what's left
  3. net — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — for catching
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mug — a face
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mug — a cup
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. season — of the year
  16. net — after costs
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mug — to rob
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rest — a break
  23. toast — bread
  24. cold — the Cold War

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