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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: cabinet · dip · saw · season · spell · stock · pit · toast

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. toast — bread
  3. spell — letters
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stock — shares
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. spell — magic
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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