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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pit — in a race
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. toast — bread
  9. drill — a practice
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — army training
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — of the year
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. season — in sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. drill — the tool
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. scale — for weighing

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