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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. content — the amount
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. season — of the year
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lean — thin
  24. season — in sport

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