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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mug — a face
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — money
  10. mug — a cup
  11. content — happy
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spell — letters
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mug — to rob
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. content — the amount

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