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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spell — magic
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ball — a dance
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stock — shares
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. content — happy
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — letters
  24. squash — the sport

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