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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
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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: coach · march · content · fan · spell · chest · dip · current

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. dip — to sink
  7. current — electric
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. current — happening now
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — music
  15. spell — letters
  16. current — of water
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. coach — a trainer

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