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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. content — the amount
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chest — of your body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. content — happy
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — to handle

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