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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. firm — decided
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. spring — the season
  10. cold — not warm
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. firm — steady
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. firm — a company
  19. toast — bread
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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