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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. content — the amount
  4. march — the month
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — to be able to
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. content — happy
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — army training
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. march — music
  24. fan — a supporter

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