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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · bank · cell · content · mug · stick · chip · deal

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bank — for money
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cell — a phone
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mug — a face
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. content — happy
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mug — to rob
  16. chip — for betting
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bat — the animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. content — the amount

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