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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rule — government
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — the amount
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ground — a position
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — crushed
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — to trim
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — happy
  24. pitch — completely

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