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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. content — happy
  5. net — after costs
  6. tube — a container
  7. mark — a trace
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — money
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. plane — a tool
  19. net — for catching
  20. capital — a city
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. mark — a grade
  24. plane — an aircraft

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