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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pop — music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pop — soda
  11. content — happy
  12. stock — shares
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stock — goods
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. capital — a city
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. content — the amount
  24. capital — a big letter

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