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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: face · content · clip · plane · deal · bowl · coach · mark

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. face — part of the head
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to confront
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — to point toward
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — to handle
  23. clip — for paper
  24. plane — an aircraft

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