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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kid — child
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mug — a cup
  9. face — to point toward
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. plane — a tool
  19. face — to confront
  20. bass — low music
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. toast — bread
  23. mug — a face
  24. kid — to tease

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