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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chest — a box
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pop — music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pop — soda
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. content — happy
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. wind — moving air

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