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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chip — to eat
  4. club — a group
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. content — the amount
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — help
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — for betting
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. hand — in cards

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