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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — to confront
  6. foot — a measure
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — the amount
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rash — a series
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bowl — a football final

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