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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — bread
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bank — for money
  6. prune — to trim
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. roll — a list
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. court — for sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bank — of a river
  20. snap — to click
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bank — for money
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. roll — on a roll

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