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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to click
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — happy
  13. chip — to eat
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. content — the amount
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stem — to come from
  19. clip — to cut
  20. can — a tin
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. clip — a video
  24. can — to be able to

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