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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. court — for sport
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. toast — bread
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. court — of law
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — of a king
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cue — a hint

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