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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chip — for betting
  3. toast — bread
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. date — the fruit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. fork — a garden tool

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