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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. content — the amount
  3. drill — army training
  4. dip — to sink
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — hasty
  7. drill — the tool
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. content — happy
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. board — a committee
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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