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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. last — final
  5. drill — a practice
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. drill — army training
  8. shower — to wash
  9. content — happy
  10. board — to get on
  11. last — finally
  12. content — the amount
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. shower — rain
  16. capital — a city
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. capital — money
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. drill — the tool
  23. board — a committee
  24. last — to go on

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