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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. clip — a video
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. plane — a tool
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. clip — for paper
  24. march — the month

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