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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. date — the fruit
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — bread
  6. face — to confront
  7. race — the arms race
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. snap — to click
  11. squash — the sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. race — humankind
  14. face — to point toward
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. race — a contest
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. squash — to crush
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. face — part of the head
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. patient — a sick person

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