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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. content — happy
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — to wash
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. charge — in control
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. game — a match
  12. content — the amount
  13. press — to push
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. press — newspapers
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — electricity
  19. press — a publisher
  20. shower — rain
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. game — wild animals

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