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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.

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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. content — happy
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. fall — to drop
  12. shower — rain
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fall — the season
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. snap — to click
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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