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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mark — a trace
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. content — the amount
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mark — a grade
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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