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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. firm — a company
  4. dip — to sink
  5. snap — to click
  6. squash — to crush
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. content — the amount
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. firm — decided
  14. chip — to eat
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — for betting
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. firm — steady

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