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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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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: squash · content · net · chest · lie · wave · game · chip

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. chest — a box
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. net — after costs
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. squash — the sport
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. lie — to recline
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — for betting
  17. squash — to crush
  18. game — a match
  19. net — for catching
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chip — to eat
  22. net — in sport
  23. chest — of your body
  24. squash — the vegetable

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