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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
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 · land · can · fan · bat · game · temple · ball

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — happy
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — ground
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. can — to be able to
  9. land — to come down
  10. content — the amount
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. game — a match
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bat — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. can — a tin
  24. ball — a round shape

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