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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bark · chip · rush · season · object · rule · chest

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — government
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. object — an aim
  7. rule — a law
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. object — a thing
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. object — to protest
  16. content — the amount
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. content — happy
  23. chip — for betting
  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