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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. game — wild animals
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mate — a partner
  10. roll — a cake
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. game — a match
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. content — the amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — happy
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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