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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. roll — a cake
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. band — a music group
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — the amount
  10. wound — an injury
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. content — happy
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a friend
  24. band — a rubber band

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