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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. content — the amount
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. swing — music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. swing — to play on
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. content — happy
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rush — hurry
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. row — a line
  24. rush — a thrill

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