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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rest — a break
  3. row — to paddle
  4. content — the amount
  5. chip — to eat
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chip — for betting
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a line
  15. can — a tin
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rest — what's left
  20. can — to be able to
  21. content — happy
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — to rip

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