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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. content — happy
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — the amount
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a match
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — in a road
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. temple — a place of worship

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