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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. content — happy
  3. hand — help
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. lean — thin
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. track — a path
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. content — the amount
  24. wave — of the sea

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