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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — in sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fall — the season
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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