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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. game — wild animals
  3. date — the fruit
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. toast — bread
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — for a lock
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — in music
  18. game — a match
  19. chip — for betting
  20. plane — a tool
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chip — to eat
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. key — the most important part

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