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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. object — an aim
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. content — the amount
  9. bear — the animal
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. content — happy
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spell — magic
  16. object — a thing
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rock — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — army training
  24. content — videos and posts

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