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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: ball · tear · rush · court · toast · face · squash · bay

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tear — to rip
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rush — hurry
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — of law
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — part of the head
  18. court — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of a king
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. face — to confront
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. toast — bread

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