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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. race — humankind
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — the amount
  11. perch — the fish
  12. race — a contest
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. race — the arms race
  24. ground — the earth

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