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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. toast — bread
  5. content — happy
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. key — in music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. plane — a tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. saw — the tool
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cap — a lid
  19. key — for a lock
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — videos and posts

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