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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · content · toast · wind · fan · bark · sharp · court

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. last — to go on
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. last — final
  10. court — for sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — the amount
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. last — finally
  21. content — happy
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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