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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. net — after costs
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. track — a song
  7. cue — a hint
  8. net — in sport
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cue — a signal
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — to keep track
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. content — the amount
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rest — a break
  22. track — a path
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. content — videos and posts

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