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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — to visit
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. tube — the underground
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — a committee
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. board — to get on
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — for sport
  17. pop — music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — of law
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tube — a container
  24. court — of a king

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