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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: toast · swing · wake · court · race · mate · mug · kick

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mug — a cup
  3. swing — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. race — a contest
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. court — for sport
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mug — a face
  15. court — of a king
  16. swing — in golf
  17. court — of law
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wake — a trail
  20. swing — to play on
  21. toast — bread
  22. race — humankind
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — a partner

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