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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lean — thin
  3. firm — decided
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — rain
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. drill — army training
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. toast — bread
  14. shower — to wash
  15. craft — boats
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. firm — a company
  18. court — for sport
  19. firm — steady
  20. content — happy
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — of a king
  23. craft — a skill
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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