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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — a division
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. mark — a grade
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. content — happy
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wake — a trail
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. dip — to sink
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. dip — to dunk

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