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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. firm — steady
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for golf
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — a phone
  8. content — happy
  9. can — to be able to
  10. firm — decided
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — a group
  13. content — the amount
  14. club — for dancing
  15. clip — to cut
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. firm — a company
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — to eat
  24. can — a tin

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