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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — the amount
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — final
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — part of the body

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