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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. land — ground
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. content — happy
  9. net — for catching
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. land — a country
  13. squash — to crush
  14. capital — a city
  15. land — to come down
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. capital — money
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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