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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: kick · cell · content · track · pop · wind · bowl · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. content — the amount
  3. track — a path
  4. pop — soda
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pop — music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pop — to visit
  14. content — happy
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wind — moving air
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. track — a song
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kick — in football
  24. bowl — a football final

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