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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wake — a trail
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. content — the amount
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. present — there
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — a gift
  16. chip — for betting
  17. present — the time now
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. content — happy
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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