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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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Word bank
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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. spell — magic
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. content — the amount
  10. present — there
  11. plane — a tool
  12. court — of law
  13. content — happy
  14. mine — for digging
  15. court — for sport
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fine — all right
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — of a king
  22. present — a gift
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. plane — in geometry

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