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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a great time
  4. deal — to handle
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ball — a dance
  18. row — a line
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chip — to eat

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