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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 116 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: fan · content · rock · object · ground · season · track · hand

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ground — the earth
  4. season — in sport
  5. object — a thing
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. object — an aim
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. season — of the year
  11. hand — help
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — to protest
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rock — music
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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