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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. row — a line
  6. club — for golf
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. chip — for betting
  9. content — happy
  10. club — a group
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ball — a great time
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. chip — to eat
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. content — the amount

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