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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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Word bank
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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: face · hand · suit · chip · bark · content · mouse · last

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. last — finally
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — final
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. content — happy
  11. hand — in cards
  12. last — to go on
  13. hand — help
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. face — to confront
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — to point toward

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