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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — thin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lean — to bend
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. capital — money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — in football
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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