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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. toast — bread
  4. drill — army training
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. court — of a king
  11. pound — a weight
  12. capital — money
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. capital — a city
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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