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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ground — a position
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. ground — crushed
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — a stone
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cabinet — ministers

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