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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. content — the amount
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. date — the fruit
  6. toast — bread
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. court — of a king
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. ball — a dance
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — a measure
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a great time
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. content — happy

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