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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 116 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: fan · kid · content · ground · dip · fine · lash · court

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — the earth
  7. content — the amount
  8. kid — child
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — high quality
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. content — happy
  17. fine — all right
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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