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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — a video
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. clip — for paper
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bass — the fish
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — low music
  13. track — a song
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cue — a hint
  19. toast — bread
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — a path
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of law

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