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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. content — happy
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. content — the amount
  17. field — a subject
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — for sport
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. press — a publisher

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