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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.

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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: tube · ground · land · content · fan · firm · game · rush

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ground — a position
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a match
  9. content — the amount
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. ground — the earth
  13. firm — a company
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — to come down
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. content — happy
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fan — a supporter

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