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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. chip — to eat
  3. snap — to click
  4. board — to get on
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — of ice
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. sharp — clever
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. chip — for betting
  16. content — the amount
  17. board — a committee
  18. net — after costs
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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