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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chest — of your body
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — in music
  12. chest — a box
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mate — a friend
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. toast — bread
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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