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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. chest — a box
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stock — shares
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chest — of your body
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — for catching
  14. vault — a safe
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stock — goods
  18. net — after costs
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. can — to be able to
  23. content — the amount
  24. plane — an aircraft

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