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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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. charge — a price
  3. content — the amount
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — electricity
  7. face — to confront
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rush — hurry
  13. charge — in control
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — part of the head
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — for sport
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. court — of a king
  24. face — to point toward

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