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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 124 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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. snap — to click
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — temperature
  11. clip — to cut
  12. degree — an amount
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. content — happy
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stand — to bear
  23. content — the amount
  24. clip — a video

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