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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. content — happy
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — to eat
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. club — for golf
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. object — an aim
  16. cold — not warm
  17. content — the amount
  18. object — to protest
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chip — for betting
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. cold — an illness
  24. object — a thing

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