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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — money
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — to crush
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — in sport
  13. squash — the sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. content — happy
  16. capital — a city
  17. perch — the fish
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. net — for catching
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. plane — a tool

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