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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — for betting
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. season — of the year
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — a series
  16. content — the amount
  17. season — in sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bank — for money
  23. bowl — to roll
  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