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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chip — for betting
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to click
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. charge — in control
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hand — help
  15. content — the amount
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitch — completely
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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