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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. row — a line
  3. spell — magic
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — of a king
  7. spell — letters
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spell — a short time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. toast — bread
  16. court — of law
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. court — for sport
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. key — for a lock
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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