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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. court — of a king
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. court — for sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mark — a trace
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. court — of law
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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