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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. ball — a great time
  4. content — happy
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — hurry
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chip — for betting
  9. season — in sport
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. chip — to eat
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. face — to confront
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. season — of the year

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