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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — the amount
  6. pop — music
  7. object — an aim
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pop — soda
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. object — a thing
  17. mark — a trace
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. land — a country
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. object — to protest
  24. bat — the animal

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