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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 · dip · fan · bowl · chip · net · ball · date

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. content — happy
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — the amount
  7. chip — to eat
  8. net — after costs
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to sink
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. ball — a great time
  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