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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. roll — a list
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cap — a hat
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cap — of ice
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cap — a lid
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — in music
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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