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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to confront
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bound — certain
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pit — in a race
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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