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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. last — final
  8. content — the amount
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. field — for sport
  15. wound — an injury
  16. last — finally
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rule — government
  20. content — happy
  21. field — a subject
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rule — a law
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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