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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: rest · toast · charge · squash · season · spell · march · last

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. spell — letters
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. charge — a price
  12. march — music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spell — magic
  15. squash — to crush
  16. last — finally
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rest — what's left
  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