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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bulb — for light
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fall — to drop
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — the season
  10. charge — in control
  11. spell — letters
  12. charge — a price
  13. spell — a short time
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. cap — a lid
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cap — a hat
  20. court — of law
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spell — magic

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