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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. net — for catching
  3. object — an aim
  4. content — happy
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — in sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — after costs
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. object — a thing
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. sharp — clever
  20. file — a document
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. squash — to crush
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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