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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — for betting
  4. snap — to click
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stock — shares
  11. craft — boats
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stock — goods
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. fall — the season
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. content — happy
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. craft — a skill
  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