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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. content — the amount
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mate — a partner
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mate — a friend
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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