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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — a trail
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wind — moving 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