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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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468
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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rule — government
  5. squash — the sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. snap — to click
  13. toast — bread
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rule — a law
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. squash — to crush
  22. season — of the year
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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