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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: toast · chest · season · tear · mate · cap · scale · suit

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — of the year
  9. scale — size or range
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cap — a lid
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. season — in sport
  16. scale — in music
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — a box
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tear — from crying

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