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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pop — soda
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pop — to visit
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. pop — music
  15. bore — to drill
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. toast — bread
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bear — to put up with

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