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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chip — for betting
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. chip — to eat
  8. squash — to crush
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. fall — to drop
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fall — the season
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. squash — the sport
  16. content — the amount
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — size or range
  24. tear — to rip

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