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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. content — the amount
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. band — a music group
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — happy
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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