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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. content — happy
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. land — to come down
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. dip — to sink
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. bass — low music
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pit — a hole
  24. dip — to dunk

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