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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — the amount
  7. rock — a stone
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — the time now
  17. rock — music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ball — a dance
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. content — happy
  23. suit — clothes
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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