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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. spell — letters
  5. chip — to eat
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wake — a trail
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spell — a short time
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — the amount
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — happy
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — magic

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