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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. net — in sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — the amount
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — for catching
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — to add flavour
  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