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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. court — for sport
  3. swing — music
  4. court — of law
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. toast — bread
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. season — of the year
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mark — a trace
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bat — the animal
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. lean — thin
  22. mark — a grade
  23. court — of a king
  24. bat — for baseball

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