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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — of the year
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — crushed
  21. toast — bread
  22. wake — a trail
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — for a hammer

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