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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — soda
  4. race — a contest
  5. plane — a tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. race — humankind
  8. stem — to come from
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pop — music
  11. file — a tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. object — to protest
  14. file — a document
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. pop — to visit
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. object — a thing
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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