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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: dip · mouse · season · spring · chip · toast · last · content

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. spring — the season
  10. last — final
  11. season — of the year
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. content — happy
  14. chip — to eat
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. toast — bread
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spring — of water
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mouse — for a computer

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