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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — the amount
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — a committee
  11. content — happy
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — to get on
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to click
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bowl — to roll

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