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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 120 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chest — a box
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rock — music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rock — a stone
  17. content — happy
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. content — the amount
  24. fork — to eat with

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