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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chip — to eat
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to click
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — for betting
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cold — not warm
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — happy
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. nail — for a hammer

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