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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — bread
  4. pitch — completely
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. season — of the year
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — final
  16. current — happening now
  17. row — a line
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — electric
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — in sport
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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