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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
468
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: bark · content · fan · straw · bowl · current · toast · game

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. game — wild animals
  5. current — happening now
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. current — electric
  13. content — happy
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — the amount
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. current — of water

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