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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fine — high quality
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. content — the amount
  15. spring — a coil
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fine — all right
  20. foot — a measure
  21. spring — of water
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bass — low music
  24. fan — a supporter

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