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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: plane · net · court · cabinet · content · saw · tear · chip

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. court — of law
  8. content — happy
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — after costs
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chip — to eat
  21. tear — from crying
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. court — for sport
  24. chip — for betting

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