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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. march — the month
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. plane — a tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cell — a phone
  12. content — happy
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — to rip
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — the month
  20. tear — from crying
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. can — a tin

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