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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. file — a tool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. content — happy
  12. mate — a friend
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. file — a document
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. date — the fruit
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a dance

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