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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lie — to recline
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. toast — bread
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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