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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. track — to keep track
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. track — a path
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mine — for digging
  11. toast — bread
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bound — tied together
  14. date — the fruit
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bound — obliged
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bound — certain
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — a song
  24. mine — an explosive

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