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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stand — to bear
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — the fruit
  12. club — a group
  13. key — in music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — the amount
  20. key — the most important part
  21. toast — bread
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  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