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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: kid · lash · key · plane · toast · suit · chest · degree

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. kid — child
  4. chest — a box
  5. suit — in cards
  6. chest — of your body
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. key — the most important part
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. suit — clothes
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. suit — to fit
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. key — in music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chest — of your body
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. key — for a lock
  23. kid — to tease
  24. plane — a tool

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