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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. club — for dancing
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — for golf
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. object — to protest
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. object — an aim
  15. cap — of ice
  16. toast — bread
  17. bat — the animal
  18. object — a thing
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cap — a hat
  23. foot — a measure
  24. hide — animal skin

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