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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — magic
  6. chest — of your body
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. chest — a box
  11. saw — the tool
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — the amount
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spell — a short time
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. content — happy

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