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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 124 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — ground
  3. plane — a tool
  4. game — wild animals
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. craft — boats
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. content — happy
  18. court — for sport
  19. land — to come down
  20. craft — a skill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. snap — to click
  23. court — of law
  24. game — a match

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