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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. content — the amount
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rash — a series
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — a tool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — happy
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stock — shares
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. stock — goods
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pass — to succeed

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