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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. court — for sport
  3. spell — a short time
  4. suit — in cards
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — a series
  15. bass — low music
  16. tear — to rip
  17. suit — to fit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — letters
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rash — hasty
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of law
  24. bass — the fish

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