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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 116 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. content — the amount
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kid — child
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kid — to tease
  11. content — happy
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — a series
  16. mark — a grade
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rash — hasty
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hide — to keep secret

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