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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — to go on
  6. court — for sport
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. last — finally
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. track — a song
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — final
  16. court — of a king
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — to keep track
  20. present — the time now
  21. court — of law
  22. track — a path
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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