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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.

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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: mine · content · sharp · pop · net · land · fan · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — the amount
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — to come down
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — happy
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — a cake
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — a country
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. pop — music
  21. net — for catching
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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