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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — the fruit
  4. court — for sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bulb — for light
  10. track — a path
  11. toast — bread
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — a face
  14. row — a line
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. row — to paddle
  20. court — of a king
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of law
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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