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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — in sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — of water
  12. net — for catching
  13. fall — the season
  14. snap — to click
  15. pop — soda
  16. net — after costs
  17. spring — a coil
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a great time
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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