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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. content — the amount
  3. charge — a price
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. charge — in control
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. hand — help
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. content — happy
  24. dip — to dunk

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