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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cell — a phone
  8. snap — to click
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. toast — bread
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ground — a position
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. roll — a list
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — crushed
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. toast — the most admired

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