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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: fan · cabinet · dip · sharp · bound · content · ball · land

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bound — tied together
  14. land — to come down
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — ground
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. dip — to dunk

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