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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. content — the amount
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. game — a match
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. mate — a partner
  24. content — happy

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