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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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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: deal · last · cold · content · snap · track · plane · club

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. content — the amount
  3. cold — not warm
  4. last — to go on
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. club — for golf
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cold — an illness
  12. last — final
  13. plane — a tool
  14. content — happy
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. track — to keep track
  19. snap — to click
  20. last — finally
  21. track — a song
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. track — a path

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