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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. shower — rain
  3. track — a song
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — happy
  13. track — a path
  14. kick — in football
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — the month
  19. content — the amount
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. shower — to wash

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