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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — a tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kick — in football
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — a gift
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. present — the time now
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — of the year
  17. toast — bread
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. present — there
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. season — in sport
  24. plane — in geometry

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