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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rest — a break
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. snap — to click
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ball — a great time
  10. board — to get on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. board — a committee
  16. can — to be able to
  17. content — the amount
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. chip — to eat
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. can — a tin

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