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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. land — ground
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mate — to breed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mate — a friend

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