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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a trace
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. shower — rain
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. toast — bread
  12. swing — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ball — a round shape

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