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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chip — to eat
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. firm — steady
  7. chest — of your body
  8. file — a document
  9. ball — a great time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — a country
  14. firm — a company
  15. land — to come down
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chip — for betting
  18. file — a line of people
  19. land — ground
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — the amount
  23. file — a tool
  24. firm — decided

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