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

Word bank: fall · mug · straw · mouse · kick · toast · chip · court

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mug — to rob
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. toast — bread
  8. kick — in football
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. court — for sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fall — the season
  21. court — of law
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chip — to eat
  24. court — of a king

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