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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. suit — in cards
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — for sport
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to click
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. sharp — clever
  19. suit — to fit
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. court — of law
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. suit — clothes

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