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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. object — to protest
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. object — an aim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. file — a document
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. object — a thing
  16. fine — all right
  17. rash — a series
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. toast — bread
  24. rash — on the skin

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