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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — a thing
  4. field — for sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. object — an aim
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — to protest
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. last — final
  15. field — farmland
  16. dip — to sink
  17. squash — the sport
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. last — finally
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. last — to go on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. toast — the most admired

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