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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ball — a great time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. roll — a list
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — soda
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. roll — a cake
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pop — to visit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mine — an explosive

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