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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mate — a friend
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rash — a series
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mug — a face
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. mate — to breed
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. toast — bread
  24. ruler — for measuring

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