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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · lie · wave · chair · toast · can · hide · foot

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lie — to recline
  4. court — of a king
  5. chair — a leader
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. can — a tin
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. court — of law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. can — to be able to
  21. court — for sport
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. hide — animal skin

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