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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. roll — a list
  3. pop — soda
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — happy
  9. roll — a cake
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pop — to visit
  12. march — the month
  13. can — a tin
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — to be able to
  18. march — music
  19. pop — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mine — for digging

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