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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. content — happy
  3. kick — in football
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. hand — help
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chip — for betting
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — to eat
  18. hand — in cards
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. content — the amount
  24. cell — in biology

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