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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. shower — to wash
  3. can — to be able to
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. shower — rain
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. capital — money
  20. toast — bread
  21. capital — a city
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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