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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. swing — to play on
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. sharp — clever
  18. swing — music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — happy
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — the amount

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