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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: wave · chip · stick · roll · rest · content · mate · net

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rest — a break
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. content — happy
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. net — after costs
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — the amount
  15. net — for catching
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. net — in sport
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chip — for betting
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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