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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: toast · cell · roll · drill · last · mark · season · chip

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — of the year
  5. drill — army training
  6. last — finally
  7. mark — a trace
  8. drill — the tool
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. last — final
  12. roll — a list
  13. mark — a grade
  14. last — to go on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. season — in sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cell — in biology

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