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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. mate — a friend
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mate — to breed
  14. foot — a measure
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. kid — child
  23. mate — a partner
  24. leaves — to go away

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