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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 · content · bat · pop · chip · net · club · ground

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pop — music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. content — the amount
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pop — to visit
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — happy
  24. net — for catching

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