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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — for sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — a permit
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wind — moving 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