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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. net — for catching
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — a container
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — after costs
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — happy
  17. shower — rain
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. content — the amount
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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