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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. can — to be able to
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. track — a song
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — to keep track
  16. suit — clothes
  17. can — a tin
  18. track — a path
  19. suit — in cards
  20. row — a line
  21. content — the amount
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. suit — to fit
  24. can — a tin

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