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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. spring — the season
  4. chip — to eat
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — the amount
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pop — music
  11. last — finally
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chip — for betting
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tear — from crying
  16. plane — a tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pop — soda

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