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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — happy
  4. branch — a division
  5. plane — a tool
  6. capital — money
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. sharp — clever
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. file — a tool
  15. content — the amount
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. capital — a city
  19. file — a document
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stand — to bear
  24. deal — an agreement

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