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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. content — happy
  3. chip — for betting
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mate — to breed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fall — the season
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ball — a dance
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fall — to drop
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mate — a friend
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. content — the amount

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