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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. root — the cause
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — of the year
  15. toast — bread
  16. season — in sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. root — of a word
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. root — of a plant
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fan — a supporter

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