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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. kid — to tease
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — boats
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. court — of law
  14. chip — for betting
  15. season — in sport
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. craft — a skill
  19. toast — bread
  20. season — of the year
  21. kid — child
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chip — to eat
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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