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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. plane — a tool
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. land — to come down
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. root — of a word
  9. fine — all right
  10. land — ground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tube — a container
  17. root — the cause
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — of a plant
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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