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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. toast — bread
  3. land — ground
  4. craft — boats
  5. fine — high quality
  6. plane — a tool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — to come down
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. shower — rain
  17. land — a country
  18. hand — help
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. shower — to wash
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. craft — a handicraft

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