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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. plane — a tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — a hat
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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