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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · chip · wave · face · foot · wind · squash · snap

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. content — the amount
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chip — to eat
  6. face — to confront
  7. chip — for betting
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. content — happy
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — part of the head

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