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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — ground
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. land — a country
  7. season — of the year
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. snap — to click
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. firm — steady
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chip — to eat
  21. land — to come down
  22. season — in sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. content — the amount

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