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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. row — a line
  5. bound — certain
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — final
  8. bank — for money
  9. pit — in a race
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bound — tied together
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. row — to paddle
  23. content — happy
  24. bowl — a dish

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