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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: pop · net · rash · fork · chest · content · mug · plane

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. content — the amount
  3. mug — to rob
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — a tool
  7. content — happy
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — a box
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mug — a face
  12. pop — soda
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pop — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — in geometry

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