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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. present — the time now
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — to keep track
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. track — a song
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mine — for digging
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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