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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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468
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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — wild animals
  3. snap — to click
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. march — music
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — a stick
  14. season — of the year
  15. game — a match
  16. perch — the fish
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — in sport
  24. staff — employees

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