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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 — in a computer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. drill — army training
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. content — happy
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stock — shares
  10. chip — for betting
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — a practice
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wake — a trail
  22. drill — the tool
  23. staff — a stick
  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