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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mug — a face
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — after costs
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mug — to rob
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mug — a cup
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — the amount
  15. net — in sport
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — rain
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — to wash
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — happy

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