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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. content — happy
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chip — for betting
  10. court — for sport
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. ground — a position
  13. mark — a trace
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of a king
  16. mark — a grade
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. court — of law
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — crushed
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — the amount
  24. scale — in music

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