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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tube — a container
  3. spell — a short time
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rock — a stone
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. court — of a king
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — for sport
  14. rock — music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — to crush
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. court — of law
  24. spell — letters

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