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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. file — a tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. content — the amount
  6. can — to be able to
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. toast — bread
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — happy
  13. plane — a tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. can — a tin
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. race — humankind
  24. plane — an aircraft

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