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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. roll — a cake
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. dip — to sink
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bear — the animal
  18. toast — bread
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a list
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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