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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. content — happy
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. net — after costs
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — the amount
  22. chip — to eat
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. net — in sport

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