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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 · mate · last · file · game · wave · season · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. file — a tool
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. last — final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — in sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mark — a grade
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. game — a match
  14. toast — bread
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — finally
  19. mark — a trace
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mate — a friend
  22. last — to go on
  23. file — a document
  24. toast — the most admired

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