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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · club · mate · land · cabinet · content · saw · degree

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. land — ground
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. content — happy
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. degree — temperature
  12. land — a country
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — to come down
  15. club — for dancing
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. club — for golf
  22. degree — an amount
  23. club — a group
  24. saw — the tool

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