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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. content — the amount
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. swing — in golf
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spell — letters
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — happy
  19. chip — to eat
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. season — of the year
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. coach — a trainer

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