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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. chest — a box
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. content — happy
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chip — for betting
  8. file — a line of people
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hand — help
  13. chip — to eat
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a document
  18. shower — rain
  19. file — a tool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chest — of your body
  22. content — the amount
  23. shower — to wash
  24. hand — part of the body

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