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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 · cabinet · stock · snap · pitch · content · wound · rule

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — shares
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stock — goods
  8. content — the amount
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rule — government
  12. content — happy
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. snap — to click
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rule — a law
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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