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

Word bank: mark · tear · content · chair · bowl · chip · kick · mine

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. content — happy
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. tear — to rip
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. content — the amount
  22. chair — a leader
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kick — in football

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