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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. content — the amount
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — help
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. spell — letters
  24. stand — to bear

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