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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bore — to tire
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — of law
  5. spell — letters
  6. toast — bread
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spell — magic
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — for golf
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — of a king
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. club — a group
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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