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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · fan · bowl · season · snap · content

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. content — the amount
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. sharp — clever
  5. snap — to click
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. season — of the year
  9. content — happy
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fan — to cool the air

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