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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: craft · lie · wake · drill · content · rest · chip · fall

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. craft — boats
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fall — the season
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — the amount
  17. drill — army training
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — a trail

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