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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a document
  4. chip — to eat
  5. content — happy
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. board — a committee
  9. file — a tool
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — help
  17. content — the amount
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. wave — with your hand

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