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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bound — tied together
  5. current — happening now
  6. tear — from crying
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the sport
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chip — for betting
  11. present — the time now
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. present — there
  16. plane — a tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. current — electric
  19. bound — certain
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. current — of water
  22. present — a gift
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bound — obliged

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