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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. staff — employees
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — happening now
  6. squash — the sport
  7. current — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ball — a great time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. staff — employees
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ground — the earth
  19. squash — to crush
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. current — electric
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ground — a position

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