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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lean — to bend
  4. track — a path
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — thin
  10. track — a song
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. ball — a great time
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. track — to keep track
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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