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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. fine — all right
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cell — in biology
  9. content — the amount
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. band — a music group
  12. club — for golf
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stand — to bear
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. band — a ring
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. club — a group
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. perch — the fish

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