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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. season — of the year
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. club — for golf
  7. toast — bread
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wound — an injury
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mine — for digging
  13. roll — a list
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. roll — a cake
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — a group
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — a permit

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