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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — the amount
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. last — to go on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. saw — the tool
  21. content — happy
  22. lean — to bend
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

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