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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a music group
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — from a university
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. content — the amount
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — the fish
  18. band — a ring
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bore — to drill

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