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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mug — to rob
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spring — the season
  12. mug — a cup
  13. present — the time now
  14. spring — a coil
  15. file — a document
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. present — a gift
  23. tear — to rip
  24. present — there

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