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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. field — farmland
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — for golf
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — a subject
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. club — a group
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — in sport
  13. chip — for betting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. club — for dancing
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mine — for digging
  18. snap — to click
  19. field — for sport
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — happy
  22. chip — to eat
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. net — after costs

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