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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to click
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cold — an illness
  14. content — the amount
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. staff — employees
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. staff — employees
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. staff — a stick

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