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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. toast — bread
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitch — completely
  15. mark — a trace
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. snap — to click
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. mark — a grade
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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