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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of law
  4. prune — to trim
  5. race — a contest
  6. rest — what's left
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — of a king
  9. season — in sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rest — a break
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — to bear
  22. toast — bread
  23. prune — to trim
  24. race — humankind

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