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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: wound · fan · stand · calf · net · mine · content · toast

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. content — happy
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — for catching
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. toast — bread
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. net — in sport

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