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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. chest — a box
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bound — obliged
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. content — happy
  12. hand — in cards
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bound — certain
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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