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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. content — happy
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rock — music
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. rock — a stone
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. saw — the tool

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