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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. dip — to sink
  5. toast — bread
  6. spring — a coil
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. spring — of water
  9. saw — the tool
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. court — of law
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. court — of a king
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kick — with a leg

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