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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. date — the fruit
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — a box
  9. pit — a hole
  10. court — for sport
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cue — a signal
  19. court — of law
  20. toast — bread
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wind — moving air

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