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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pop — to visit
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rock — music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. content — the amount
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pop — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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