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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fork — in a road
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cue — a signal
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. capital — money
  14. chair — a leader
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cue — a hint
  24. toast — the most admired

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