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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — an amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tube — the underground
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. march — music
  12. tube — a container
  13. track — a song
  14. degree — from a university
  15. craft — a skill
  16. content — happy
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. degree — temperature
  19. content — the amount
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fan — a supporter

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