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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. capital — money
  9. land — ground
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — the amount
  12. squash — the sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. capital — a city
  16. land — a country
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. plane — a tool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. land — to come down
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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