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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. last — to go on
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. rest — what's left
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rest — a break
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — the amount
  16. last — finally
  17. tube — a container
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — the underground
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. mate — a friend
  23. last — final
  24. dip — a sauce

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