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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. content — happy
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — a short time
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — the amount
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. sharp — clever
  14. toast — bread
  15. fork — in a road
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a line of people
  19. spell — letters
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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