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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. drill — the tool
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cold — an illness
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — to paddle
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. row — a line
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fine — all right
  13. object — a thing
  14. drill — a practice
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cold — not warm
  20. drill — army training
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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