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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. content — the amount
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. toast — bread
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. staff — employees
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. content — happy
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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