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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. dip — to dunk
  3. wind — moving air
  4. net — in sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. content — the amount
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. net — for catching
  21. row — to paddle
  22. dip — to sink
  23. row — a line
  24. fan — to cool the 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