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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. present — there
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. game — a match
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. toast — bread
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cap — of ice
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. game — wild animals
  24. plane — a tool

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