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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — the amount
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. content — happy
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bulb — for light
  23. game — a match
  24. fan — to cool the air

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