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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hand — help
  3. object — to protest
  4. hand — in cards
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pop — soda
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. season — in sport
  10. object — a thing
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. toast — bread
  14. pop — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. pop — to visit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. drill — army training
  19. squash — the sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fine — all right
  24. object — an aim

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