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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: club · court · object · mark · shower · branch · toast · foot

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. object — an aim
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mark — a trace
  10. object — a thing
  11. toast — bread
  12. object — to protest
  13. mark — a grade
  14. club — a group
  15. foot — a measure
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — rain
  19. court — of a king
  20. club — for golf
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. court — for sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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