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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. ball — a great time
  3. toast — bread
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. charge — electricity
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mark — a trace
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ball — a dance
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. last — final
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — rain
  18. charge — a price
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. last — finally
  21. charge — in control
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bark — to shout

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