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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: mine · chip · fan · toast · object · dip · ruler · content

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. content — the amount
  3. object — to protest
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. object — an aim
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. object — a thing
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — bread
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fan — a supporter

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