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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. file — a tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. file — a document
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fine — all right
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spring — of water
  23. fine — high quality
  24. spring — the season

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