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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. scale — size or range
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. date — the fruit
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. plane — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. toast — bread
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ball — a round shape

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