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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. club — for golf
  3. content — happy
  4. fine — all right
  5. club — for dancing
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hand — help
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fine — high quality
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. content — the amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. club — a group
  23. face — part of the head
  24. hide — to keep secret

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