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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · press · toast · pop · wound · last · cue · tear

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — finally
  8. pop — music
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. cue — a hint
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — to go on
  19. press — to push
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cue — for pool
  23. last — final
  24. toast — bread

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