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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: bat · pound · court · bulb · roll · toast · cue · stand

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. cue — a hint
  4. roll — a list
  5. bat — the animal
  6. court — of a king
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. toast — bread
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. roll — a cake
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cue — for pool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bulb — for light
  23. court — for sport
  24. cue — a signal

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