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

Word bank: pass · kick · bat · season · last · root · foot · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — the animal
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — in sport
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. kick — in football
  18. last — finally
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. root — the cause
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. toast — bread
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. last — final

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