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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. fine — all right
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fine — high quality
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. cell — a phone
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cell — in biology
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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