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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — happy
  5. race — the arms race
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — a contest
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. fall — the season
  20. pass — a permit
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wave — of the sea

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