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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. object — a thing
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. object — an aim
  12. bulb — for light
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. game — a match
  16. toast — bread
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. court — for sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitch — completely
  23. object — to protest
  24. bulb — for light

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