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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · board · scale · temple · snap · toast · pit · spring

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. spring — a coil
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. board — a committee
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. board — to get on
  21. scale — size or range
  22. snap — to click
  23. toast — bread
  24. scale — in music

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