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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. content — happy
  11. bound — certain
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. capital — a city
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — shares
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. content — the amount

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