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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 124 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. content — happy
  3. pop — soda
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. content — the amount
  10. stem — to come from
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. face — to confront
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chip — to eat
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pop — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chip — for betting

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