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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fine — high quality
  5. content — the amount
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. season — in sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. fine — all right
  19. season — of the year
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. court — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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