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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · bowl · date · toast · season · chest

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — of the year
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — a box
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. season — in sport
  16. date — the fruit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge

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