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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. shower — to wash
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — a permit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. season — in sport
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. season — of the year
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fall — the season

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