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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rest — what's left
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — of a king
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — a gift
  8. court — for sport
  9. clip — to cut
  10. toast — bread
  11. present — there
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. bat — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. race — humankind
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. race — the arms race
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. plane — an aircraft

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