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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. kid — child
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. toast — bread
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. season — in sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pass — a permit
  22. shower — rain
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. season — to add flavour

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