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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. chip — for betting
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — the amount
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — in music
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. content — happy
  15. pop — soda
  16. squash — to crush
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pop — music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pop — to visit
  24. squash — the sport

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