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

Word bank: hide · bowl · stick · lie · pitch · plane · lean · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lean — thin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lean — to bend
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bowl — a football final

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