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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for golf
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bore — to tire
  12. club — a group
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. roll — a list
  16. court — of law
  17. toast — bread
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bore — to drill
  22. court — of a king
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bore — gave birth

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