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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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. court — for sport
  3. toast — bread
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — help
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. court — of law
  12. spring — of water
  13. court — of a king
  14. chip — to eat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. spring — the season
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. chip — for betting
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — a coil
  24. hide — to keep secret

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