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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 · chest · straw · scale · chip · content · bear · track

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — a box
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. chip — to eat
  10. content — the amount
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. track — a path
  14. chest — of your body
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. dip — to sink
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. content — happy
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chip — for betting
  22. scale — size or range
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chest — of your body

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