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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — finally
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — all right
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. branch — a division
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. last — to go on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — for catching
  16. plane — a tool
  17. last — final
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — high quality
  24. kick — in football

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