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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — in sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rash — a series
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. net — after costs
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. net — for catching

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