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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — a break
  4. court — for sport
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. stand — to bear
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — in sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. court — of law

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