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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. foot — a measure
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. file — a document
  11. dip — to sink
  12. sharp — clever
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. file — a tool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ball — a dance

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