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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. can — a tin
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. content — happy
  13. season — in sport
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — to grow
  16. shower — rain
  17. season — of the year
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — a container
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — a 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