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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chip — to eat
  3. net — for catching
  4. bore — to drill
  5. clip — a video
  6. net — in sport
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. clip — for paper
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. content — the amount
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. net — after costs
  16. clip — to cut
  17. content — happy
  18. date — the fruit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chair — a leader
  24. hand — help

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