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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. plane — a tool
  6. scale — size or range
  7. content — the amount
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. scale — in music
  15. pit — a hole
  16. squash — the sport
  17. content — happy
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pit — in a race
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mine — for digging
  24. content — videos and posts

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