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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mug — a cup
  4. key — in music
  5. net — in sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. net — for catching
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. saw — the tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. net — after costs

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