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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: fan · roll · content · pop · cell · chip · squash · fall

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. content — happy
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. content — the amount
  5. roll — a list
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pop — soda
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pop — music
  15. fall — the season
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pop — to visit
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. squash — the vegetable

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