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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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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. present — the time now
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. drill — the tool
  5. present — a gift
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a committee
  19. drill — army training
  20. present — there
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. content — the amount

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