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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. content — happy
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. present — there
  9. net — for catching
  10. bore — to tire
  11. net — after costs
  12. present — the time now
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — in sport
  18. plane — a tool
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — of ice
  21. land — to come down
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  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