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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 · cap · content · date · ground · jam · present · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. present — a gift
  5. ground — a position
  6. fall — to drop
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. present — there
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. present — the time now
  16. content — the amount
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. cap — a hat
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cap — a lid
  24. plane — a 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