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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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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. march — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. spring — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. content — the amount
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. content — happy
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. march — the month
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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