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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mug — a face
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. content — the amount
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mug — to rob
  17. squash — to crush
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hand — help
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. squash — the sport

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