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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — the amount
  6. race — a contest
  7. stand — to bear
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. race — humankind
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — happy
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — help
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. date — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fan — a supporter

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