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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rash — a series

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