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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. key — for a lock
  5. track — to keep track
  6. deal — to handle
  7. scale — size or range
  8. content — the amount
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — a path
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. capital — a city
  15. drill — the tool
  16. content — happy
  17. key — in music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — money
  20. scale — in music
  21. drill — army training
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. drill — a practice
  24. track — a song

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