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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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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 · march · fork · foot · race · toast · jam · wind

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. toast — bread
  5. season — in sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. foot — a measure
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. march — music
  12. race — the arms race
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. race — humankind
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fork — in a road
  21. march — the month
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. race — a contest
  24. march — the month

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