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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: key · kid · wound · plane · lie · pit · fan · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pit — a hole
  8. toast — bread
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — for a lock

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