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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: chest · ball · snap · chip · wake · spell · content · coach

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — for betting
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. snap — to click
  14. spell — a short time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. spell — magic
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — letters
  21. content — happy
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. chest — a box

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