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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. chip — for betting
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — a phone
  7. content — the amount
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stand — to bear
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in biology
  14. vault — a safe
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. content — videos and posts
  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