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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. board — to get on
  6. track — a song
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. board — a committee
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rock — music
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — a line
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. row — a quarrel

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