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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. ground — the earth
  6. content — happy
  7. ground — a position
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. content — the amount
  11. can — a tin
  12. mark — a grade
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — in football
  16. mark — a trace
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. roll — a list
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kick — with a leg

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