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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. toast — bread
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kick — in football
  11. court — of law
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — of a king
  14. prune — to trim
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. board — to get on
  17. capital — money
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. board — a committee
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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