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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — the amount
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bear — the animal
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. drill — army training
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — the fish
  22. content — happy
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bass — low music

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