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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: wave · roll · chip · rash · straw · season · snap · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. season — in sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. roll — a list
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. roll — a cake
  18. season — of the year
  19. chip — for betting
  20. content — the amount
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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