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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. land — ground
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. clip — a video
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. foot — a measure
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. land — a country
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. land — to come down
  19. court — of a king
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. toast — bread
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. clip — for paper

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