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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 120 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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Word bank
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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 · key · content · kid · game · wake · swing · fan

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — child
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — a trail
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. content — the amount
  14. game — a match
  15. kid — to tease
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — happy
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — wild animals
  23. swing — music
  24. content — videos and posts

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