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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — soda
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stock — goods
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. season — of the year
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — to wash
  16. key — in music
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. key — for a lock
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pop — music
  24. key — the most important part

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