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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — for digging
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rock — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. staff — employees
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — army training
  11. staff — employees
  12. content — happy
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rock — a stone
  20. drill — a practice
  21. plane — a tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. hide — animal skin

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