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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. charge — in control
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — the amount
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — soda
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. charge — a price
  22. pop — music
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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