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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. toast — bread
  6. game — wild animals
  7. ground — a position
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a match
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — the tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stock — a soup base

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