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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 · press · safe · drill · kid · content · stock · cap

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cap — a lid
  7. content — happy
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. plane — a tool
  14. press — to push
  15. content — the amount
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kid — child
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. press — newspapers
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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