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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. kid — child
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pitch — completely
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. deal — an agreement

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