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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.

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: content · row · fan · safe · march · game · ball · can

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — the amount
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. march — the month
  11. can — a tin
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. content — happy
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. game — wild animals

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