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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: content · roll · chip · spell · sharp · shower · mate · ground

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. content — happy
  9. shower — rain
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — a short time
  13. roll — a list
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — magic
  16. ground — a position
  17. mate — to breed
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chip — to eat

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