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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 · dip · fall · toast · march · bowl · saw · hide

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. march — music
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. march — the month
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — the month
  17. court — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — of law
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — bread

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