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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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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: game · ground · content · key · wind · chip · cue · craft

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. key — the most important part
  3. craft — boats
  4. content — the amount
  5. ground — a position
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. game — a match
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wind — moving air
  15. content — happy
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cue — for pool
  19. key — in music
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. ground — crushed
  24. content — videos and posts

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