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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ground — crushed
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. season — in sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — happy
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fine — all right
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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