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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: content · mark · field · squash · wake · fan · key · toast

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. content — videos and posts
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. content — happy
  10. wake — a trail
  11. key — the most important part
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. content — the amount
  20. field — a subject
  21. toast — bread
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mark — a trace
  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