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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 to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — happy
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — the amount
  12. fork — in a road
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. game — a match
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. foot — the bottom

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