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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — happy
  6. net — after costs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — the amount
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. tear — to rip
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fan — a supporter

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