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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chip — to eat
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — of a plant
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. band — a ring
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. root — of a word
  18. sharp — clever
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — music
  21. root — the cause
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. chip — for betting
  24. sharp — exactly

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