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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ball — a dance
  3. content — the amount
  4. root — the cause
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. firm — steady
  7. track — a song
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — of a plant
  12. can — a tin
  13. firm — decided
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. firm — a company
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. root — of a word
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. can — to be able to
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — happy

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