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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: saw · net · mark · roll · toast · foot · court · object

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a trace
  8. net — after costs
  9. roll — a cake
  10. object — a thing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. roll — a list
  21. saw — the tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. roll — on a roll

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