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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. content — happy
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chip — to eat
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rash — a series
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. track — a path
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — a song
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mug — a cup
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mug — to rob

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