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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 120 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: content · plane · tube · net · can · bowl · race · last

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tube — the underground
  4. last — to go on
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — final
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. race — humankind
  11. plane — a tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. net — in sport
  14. last — finally
  15. content — happy
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. net — after costs
  18. tube — a container
  19. can — to be able to
  20. race — a contest
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. net — for catching
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. race — the arms race

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