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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mark — a grade
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. plane — a tool
  6. content — the amount
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. can — to be able to
  9. content — happy
  10. kid — child
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. kid — to tease
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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