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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. squash — to crush
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — the amount
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. net — for catching
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. squash — the sport
  23. content — happy
  24. mouse — for a computer

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