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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rush · key · toast · present · cold · fork · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. key — the most important part
  3. plane — a tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. toast — bread
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — in a road
  13. present — a gift
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rush — hurry
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. present — there
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cold — the Cold War

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