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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. march — music
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. plane — a tool
  12. march — the month
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. toast — bread
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — a list
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pound — a weight
  23. saw — the tool
  24. roll — on a roll

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