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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chip — to eat
  3. content — happy
  4. cap — a lid
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for golf
  7. hand — help
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. season — in sport
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — in cards
  14. club — a group
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chip — for betting
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — for dancing
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cap — a hat
  22. season — of the year
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chip — in a computer

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