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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. toast — bread
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. row — a line
  7. swing — to play on
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. stem — to come from
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. game — wild animals
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. charge — in control
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. content — the amount
  20. swing — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. charge — electricity
  23. content — happy
  24. charge — a price

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