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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: stick · cap · court · temple · bowl · sharp · dip · toast

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cap — a lid
  3. toast — bread
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — for sport
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cap — of ice
  11. court — of law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. court — of a king
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — a hat
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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