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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rash — hasty
  4. band — a music group
  5. rash — a series
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — happy
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. craft — boats
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chair — a leader
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bulb — for light

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