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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. drill — army training
  14. charge — a price
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — the amount
  21. charge — electricity
  22. hand — help
  23. charge — in control
  24. wave — with your hand

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