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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — wild animals
  4. object — an aim
  5. game — a match
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cell — in biology
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. object — to protest
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cell — a phone
  19. object — a thing
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. hand — part of the body

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