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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. kid — to tease
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. content — the amount
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. face — to confront
  11. snap — to click
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. face — part of the head
  15. content — happy
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — child

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