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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. clip — a video
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. pound — a weight
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — for paper
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — to cut

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