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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — the fruit
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. can — to be able to
  8. lie — to recline
  9. can — a tin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. scale — size or range
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. content — happy
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. can — a tin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lie — an untruth

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