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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. content — happy
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. snap — to click
  15. chip — to eat
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — for betting
  18. toast — bread

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