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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. toast — bread
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — happy
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rush — hurry
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. toast — the most admired
  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