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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  3. kid — child
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ground — a position
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — help
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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