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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — a series
  5. cap — a lid
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. staff — employees
  8. cap — a hat
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. firm — decided
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. kid — child
  15. firm — a company
  16. plane — a tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — hasty
  19. kid — to tease
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — steady

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