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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — the amount
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to click
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. content — happy
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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