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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. kick — in football
  3. chip — to eat
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. march — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. content — happy
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a music group
  21. can — to be able to
  22. content — the amount
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wind — moving air

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