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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rash — hasty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lean — thin
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lean — to rest against

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