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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. field — farmland
  4. toast — bread
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — for sport
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wake — a trail
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — goods
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. field — a subject

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