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

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. capital — a city
  4. season — of the year
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wound — an injury
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. plane — a tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — happy
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — money
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. foot — a measure

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