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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. content — happy
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — a cup
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — a video
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mug — a face
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — hasty
  19. content — the amount
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rash — a series
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mark — a trace

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