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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. toast — bread
  4. track — a song
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cold — not warm
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — a path
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. court — of a king
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. track — to keep track
  18. drill — the tool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. court — of law
  21. kid — child
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — army training

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