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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hand — help
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. toast — bread
  5. can — to be able to
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cap — a lid
  8. can — a tin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cap — of ice
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pit — a hole
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — in a race
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cap — a hat
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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