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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — to come down
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — ground
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — happy
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. land — a country
  13. rest — a break
  14. band — a music group
  15. bore — to tire
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. content — the amount
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bore — to drill
  22. band — a ring
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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