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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 were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. toast — bread
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in biology
  8. last — final
  9. cell — a phone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. last — to go on
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. season — of the year
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mark — a grade
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. field — a subject
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mark — to pay attention

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