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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to bend
  7. row — to paddle
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. row — a line
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. toast — bread
  20. lean — thin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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