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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bound — tied together
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cue — for pool
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pit — in a race
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bound — certain
  24. shower — rain

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