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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — a line
  7. content — happy
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. content — the amount
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. row — to paddle
  20. mine — for digging
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — to turn a key

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