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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. net — after costs
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — in sport
  5. ground — crushed
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. row — a line
  10. season — of the year
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. season — in sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. net — for catching
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. kick — in football
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. plane — in geometry

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