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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. lie — to recline
  5. date — the fruit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — help
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. toast — bread
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — to sink

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